Planet Money #789: Robocall Invasion

Spam calls, we’ve all received them and we’ve all done our best to avoid them. Unfortunately, right when we though we’d found the best way to dodge these annoying calls, they’ve figured out how to weasel back into our lives and trick us into picking up the phone, the culprit, the Neighbor Spoofing Scam.

NPR’s Planet Money wanted to hear how common this problem is amongst their listeners. From once a week to three or four times a day, they received over 1,000 responses from consumers who’d been targeted by these spoofers.

Turning to Hiya Reputation Data Team’s Senior Product Manager, Jonathan Nelson, he helps dig into Neighbor Spoofing and explains why it happens, what happens when you decide to answer, and how you can stop these calls. To hear Nelson’s expert advice click on the image below: